Villa Duchesne Nuts and Bolts | October 8, 2020
A MESSAGE FROM MRS. STEENBERGE
I am so stressed. This phrase seems to be the anthem of October, as we head into mid-semester and projects and tests begin to accumulate. It's important to remember that stress and anxiety are not in themselves bad things. Stress and anxiety are evolutionary responses to perceived threats. Our ancestors survived because they experienced psychological stress when they were in danger (think saber toothed tigers); anxiety washed over them and they took action to be safe. Today, emotional stress serves a similar function. Being stressed about a French test is actually a good thing. It's telling your daughter to take action and study for the test because if she doesn't there will be a bad outcome. You can help your daughters learn to manage healthy stress by responding to "I'm so stressed" with brainstorming strategies to control the outcome of the thing she is stressed about. In the case of the French test, she needs to study. Teaching your daughter how to respond positively to stress will help prepare her for managing her own anxiety when she heads out to college.
It's important to recognize when stress and anxiety become unhealthy as well. Stress becomes problematic when we constantly live as if a saber toothed tiger is chasing us. If your daughter's nerves are interfering with her day-to-day life, it might be time to partner with a clinician. Feel free at any time to reach out to our school counselor, Ms. Becky Pike, if you feel your daughter's anxiety is reaching an unhealthy level. Ms. Pike can be reached at 314-810-3428 or bpike@vdoh.org.
If this topic is of interest to you, know that our parent book club is reading a book that directly addresses these issues and gives specific strategies about how to respond when your daughter feels stressed. Under Pressure: Confronting the Epidemic of Stress and Anxiety in Girls by Lisa Damour will help you navigate your daughter's middle and high school years. Our next meeting will be on Monday, October 26, and we will be talking about chapter two, Girls at Home. It's not too late to join in the discussion. I will provide the ZOOM link and more instructions as the date approaches.
Ms. Elizabeth Wyant is a former international teacher who returned to the United States in 2015. Previously, she had taught at Thomas Jefferson School in Sunset Hills before teaching in Germany, Russia, Guam, and Taiwan from 1997-2015. Upon her return, Ms. Wyant taught French at MICDS, history at Christian Brothers High School, at St Louis Public Schools, and at Esther Miller Bais Yaakov High School in University City. She says she was inspired to apply at Villa Duchesne because she wanted to get back into Catholic education and to empower female students. She is excited about the chance to prepare students at Villa Duchesne to be global citizens and powerful writers. She loves Jeopardy and is presently in the very lengthy process of auditioning for the show! Ms. Wyant loves dance and studying foreign languages. She would encourage everyone to never lose your joy in learning—no matter what. You will find that subject or interest that will inspire you for the rest of your life.
PRAY PLACES IN REGIONAL DRESSSAGE CHAMPIONSHIP
Congratulations to junior Lorraine Pray and her horse, Danilo, who won four first place blue ribbons and one second place red ribbon in the Regional 4 Dressage Championships. Lorraine also placed as Reserve Champion in another class and is automatically qualified for Nationals in August 2021. Great team work, Lorraine and Danilo!
REPORTING ABSENCES
If your daughter will be absent, please email attendance-villa@vdoh.org. The email must come from a parent and should indicate the reason for the absence as well as the anticipated return date. Please do not use SchoolPass to report attendance.
SOCIAL DISTANCING ON THE WEEKENDS
It has come to our attention that students across the area are organizing "FoCo" parties, parties that take the place of homecoming. We urge you to please monitor your daughters on the weekend so they do not attend events where they could come into contact with COVID-positive individuals and bring the virus to our campus. We so want to remain open! Please work with us to keep our community safe and encourage healthy and socially responsible choices by your daughters on the weekends. Our families are counting on you!
WORLD MENTAL HEALTH DAY
This Saturday, October 10, is World Mental Health Day. This is a day to remember mental health is part of overall health and needs to be a priority for everyone, whether you have a mental health condition or not. For some students, the scariest part of seeking help is logistics. Here are a few facts about our Counselor:
SUPPORT US ON AMAZON PRIME DAY
You can make a difference while you shop Amazon Prime Day deals on October 13 and 14. Simply shop at smile.amazon.com/ch/43-1063899 or with AmazonSmile ON in the Amazon Shopping app.
AmazonSmile is a simple way for you to support Villa Duchesne and Oak Hill every time you shop, at no cost to you. It is available at smile.amazon.com and can be activated in the Amazon Shopping app. When you shop at AmazonSmile, you'll find the exact same low prices, vast selection, and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added benefit that AmazonSmile will donate 0.5% of your eligible purchases to our school. Select Villa Duchesne-Oak Hill as your charity of choice and happy shopping!
SPECIAL SCHEDULE | OCTOBER 14
On Wednesday, October 14, students will be engaged in a variety of activities. At some point in the day, all students will be outside so they should dress appropriately for the weather. One of the afternoon activities will be the NHS Induction Ceremony, which will be shared via video with the students at 1 pm. The link will be shared on social media and directly to parents of all members and inductees so that you can be "with" us as we celebrate the achievements of these 24 students.
Special instructions by grade level are as follows:
SENIOR PARENT MEETING | OCTOBER 20
We will host a ZOOM meeting for senior parents at 6:30 pm on Tuesday, October 20. Please plan for at least parent to attend. We will cover everything from college applications to graduation to Maypole! Mark your calendars now and save this ZOOM link: https://zoom.us/j/96634296921?pwd=NFNiUGNnSmpCUGliR293Y01Tb2piQT09
GET THE WORD OUT AND SHOW SCHOOL SPIRIT
Current students and their families are our best ambassadors to the wider community in spreading the word about what a Sacred Heart education is all about. Campus visits are now available for prospective students and families with an easy online registration. Please share the link below with any interested neighbors, friends, family, and fellow parishioners and encourage them to reserve a date and time today. Visits are individual and take place either after school or virtually via Zoom. We will also be hosting small group events for prospective students from area grade schools in the evenings and on Saturdays. These events will include a couple of activities and an opportunity for interested students to meet Villa girls. If you think your parish school or daughter's elementary school would be interested, please contact Director of Enrollment Management Therese Hagemeister at thagemeister@vdoh.org.
Our recruiting efforts are going to be more grassroots and word of mouth than ever before, so if you know a family that's interested in Villa Duchesne, please send them our way, email their contact information to admissions@vdoh.org, or provide them the link below to learn more about our fall visits and enrollment.
LUNCH ORDERS
Each week, students who wish to order lunch from school should select lunches for the following week using our Lunch Order Form. Place lunch orders by 9 pm each Tuesday for lunch the following week. Order forms will be updated on Wednesdays.
EUCHARISTIC ADORATION
As an act of Thanksgiving, Pope Saint Pius V instituted the annual Feast of our Lady of the Rosary, celebrated every October 7. That is why the month of October is called the month of the Rosary. Saint Therese of the Child Jesus described the Rosary as "a long chain linking heaven and earth; one of its ends is held in our hands; the other in the hands of the Blessed Virgin." Adapted from Let's Pray the Rosary, by Mauricette Vial-Andru
NO SCHOOL | OCTOBER 12
Villa Duchesne and Oak Hill School will be closed Monday, October 12, for fall break.
Each Thursday, the Nuts & Bolts newsletters will highlight important information including upcoming school events, student achievements in and outside of school, forms to be completed, and program deadlines. Send your information for students and parents to news@vdoh.org to be included in either the Oak Hill newsletter, the Villa Duchesne newsletter, or both. Please log in frequently to access personalized content in your portal. Contact your Principal's Office with questions about your online account. For Villa Duchesne, email Judy Bertucci at jbertucci@vdoh.org. For Oak Hill, email Jaime Bergfeld at jbergfeld@vdoh.org. Villa Duchesne and Oak Hill School 801 S.Spoede Road | St. Louis, MO 63131 314.432.2021 | www.vdoh.org | news@vdoh.org |